Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 9/16/2006

Question
I live in Santee, Calif. 92071.. It is about 25 miles inland from San Diego, in a valley.. It does get quite hot... I planted three stargazer bulbs in pots this spring.. They bloomed & were beautiful... But... Now all I have are bare stems, what do I do with them?  Do I cut them back or just let them be... Please help me, I am a novice at these but totally love them & the fragrance's...Thank you... Missy

Answer
Lily bulbs will grow and flower. After flowering, the stem w/leaves will stay for a while until the leaves fall off and the stem dies back. The lily will them resprout next year.

However, resprouting is determined in response to a vernalization (cooling) period and your temperatures where you live may not get cool enough, for long each, for this to happen naturally.

Oriental lilies, including stargazer lilies, require 8 weeks of cold treatment where the temperatures must be cool enough, 35-36 F. During the chilling treatment, the bulbs need to be kept from drying out due to excessive moisture loss and need to be kept slightly moist. This is usually achieved by keeping the bulbs planted outdoors in temperate areas. However, in your area, you may have to dig the bulbs, wash them off and put a damp material such as sawdust shavings or peatmoss sphagnum around the bulbs and roots. Store in a spare fridge which is set as low as possible. Do not keep cut flowers or fresh fruit in the same fridge.

After vernalization, put the bulbs in the pots and place cool for best results. If you give the plants too hot temperatures after vernalization the shots tend to be long and expend a lot of energy which weakens bulbs. However, it is possible to grow them in your area if you follow above vernalization period.

Lily bulbs should be kept actively growing for as long as possible after flowering has finished (with green stem and leaves). Continue to water frequently and fertilize regularily. Do not allow the soil to dry out excessive during this period. When you are ready to put in the fridge, you can gradually withhold water until the stem dies back. Never allow the soil to dry out completely, however, or the bulb may dessicate and die.